Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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void on defense vacated by Te'o, spirited and vocal line leader Kapron Lewis-Moore and traffic-cop secondary leader Zeke Motta, the head coach's train of thought first turned to senior cornerback Bennett Jackson and Shembo. Surprisingly, Nix's name was not mentioned, even though he combined the physical prowess (and then some) of Shembo with the vocal and intense fire of Jackson. It wasn't necessarily an indictment of Nix as a leader, but a testimony that he is … different. "Louis is his own personality," Kelly summarized. "He's a fierce competitor — but we're not going to ask him to give any Knute Rockne speeches either before the game or during the game. I think he knows that about himself." The one day of the week when there has been no ambiguity about Nix is football Saturdays in the fall. That is the day when teammates and Fighting Irish coaches can comfortably project what they're going to get from Nix: dominance and game-changing ability in the trenches. Such play over the past two seasons has earned him notice as one of the elite figures in college football's trenches. Unless junior defensive end Stephon Tuitt also opts to turn pro following the 2013 campaign, Nix is projected to become Notre Dame's first firstround draft pick along the defensive line since Renaldo Wynn in 1997. Listed as the No. 7 prospect on ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.'s "2014 Big Board," Nix also was No. 8 in this spring's SI.com mock draft for 2014 and No. 16 on CBS Sports' list. Sweet & Sour It takes all kinds of personalities to comprise a championship team: star power and role players; foot soldiers and generals; leaders by example and break-the-mold personalities; comic relief and quiet assassins … Nix is all of above, and then some. Traditionally at Notre Dame, a football player plays the politically correct role to a tee in public interviews: conservative, measures every word, emphasizes fundamentals and technique, etc. Nix doesn't necessarily follow the rules in the unofficial handbook, neither on the field nor in the media room. "Everyone listens to Louis because he thinks outside of the box," Shembo said. "He's not going to give you the answer you're probably going to expect. The way Louis is, he'll be politically incorrect." "I even follow him on Twitter," fifth-year senior offensive left tackle and fellow AllAmerican candidate Zack Martin said with a chuckle. "He's funny, and he's goofier than people think. He's a big social media guy." Nix's 23,300 followers on Twitter, as of mid-June this year, is double that of anyone Nix is projected to be the first Notre Dame defensive lineman selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since 1997, and has been rated as the seventh-best draft eligible player available by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. photo by bill panzica else on the Notre Dame team. But more often he will convey his messages in person and with blunt force. Sophomore defensive end Jarron Jones affectionately capsulated Nix as the kind of "bully" that everyone needs. Unlike Nix, who had to undergo serious diet changes and conditioning drills as a freshman just to make it through practice, Jones — who played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl — passed the "eye test" his rookie year with his robust 6-5, 299-pound frame. Nix then tested his mental toughness. sity and skills of the college game. "He uses it against me, though. He says 'It's because I was 368 pounds, but you, you just suck!'" said Jones, who began making some headway the latter part of spring. "Him ragging out on me, I'm seeing my game pick up through that. "I don't like getting picked on by Lou because he's the loudest person in the locker room. If he picks on me, everybody's going to hear it, and everyone's going to start laughing. … Some people just have different ways of showing love." "All the other stuff that goes on during the week, the chatter … let Louis be Louis. His teammates know that on Saturday he's a ferocious competitor." Head coach Brian Kelly on Nix "He's the 'tough cop,'" Jones said. "I still love him. He looks out for me a lot. I look at him like an older brother — you don't like him sometimes, because he picks on you, but he still looks out for you, he still helps you get better." Like Nix, Jones did not play as a freshman while trying to assimilate into Notre Dame's culture and especially acclimate to the inten- Nix admits he would be one who subscribes to former Army, Indiana and Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight's recently released book, The Power of Negative Thinking. In a nutshell, Knight describes how "the everyone gets a trophy" philosophy that is infiltrating society is quietly making people soft. "I say that to a lot of people," Nix said of his 80 ✦ Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview 78-82.Louis Nix III.indd 80 6/25/13 2:11 PM